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Green Energy’s Top Foe: Other Greens

Editor's Note: Randy T. Simmons, one of the authors of the article below, is a professor at the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business.

The New York Post

By RANDY T. SIMMONS & RYAN M. YONK

"Think globally, act locally”: Amazingly often, that principle leaves the environmental movement fighting environmental projects. And a major case of it may be coming soon to New York.

Indeed, New York City’s already gotten a taste of it: Just last year, Park Slope residents leveraged environmental-review requirements to sue the city to remove bike lanes by Prospect Park.

Enough copycat lawsuits could mean big bills for the city: In 2006, an environmental suit against San Francisco’s bike-lane plan kicked off a five-year legal battle that cost the city over $1 million; the project didn’t move ahead until it had produced a 2,000-plus page environmental review.

And the problem is far, far worse when it comes to green energy projects.